Parenthood
by Kyas Nonsense
Summary: A series of oneshots where Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye discover the joys of parenthood. Royai
1. Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer: FMA © Hiromu Arakawa**

**I only created Mae.**

**Parenthood**

A crisp, clear day dawned, throwing the world into fresh relief as the sun climbed into the sky and moon sank beneath the horizon. Birds began to sing, calling forth all of the early risers, welcoming the new day with frightening cheerfulness. Dogs barked as the squirrels began their daily routine of searching for food and hiding it. It was this sound that awoke Major Riza Hawkeye-Mustang; not the barking of neighborhood dogs, but the barking of one Black Hayate.

Running her hands through her sleep-tussled, blond locks, Riza glared at the offending canine. It was still an hour before she would normally rise and wasn't very thrilled with the early wake-up call. Black Hayate, for his part, whined and slinked beneath the bed she shared with her husband. Speaking of which…

Riza glanced over at the form of her husband, he hadn't even flinched at the din the dog had been making. For a moment, she considered slapping him for his audacity, but sighed in resignation when she considered his mood when he was woken up too early. Growling about annoying animals and men, Riza slid her feet over the edge of the bed and slid them into her slippers. Might as well take advantage of the day, even if it was her day off.

Stealthily, she padded through the house, stopping for a brief moment at the ajar door of her baby's room. She gaze in at the infant. Every time she took in her daughter's chubby form, a flair of love, happiness, and pride swelled within her. It seemed her very soul was on fire. She ran her eyes from the mass of black hair to the tips of the ten perfect toes. There was no child as perfect, as sweet, as Mae Mustang, and there never would be; in her humble opinion.

After checking on the baby, Riza continued on her way to ready herself for the day.

Within an hour, Riza had prepared a quick breakfast, set out her husband's uniform, and picked up what little mess there was in the family room. Toys were set back where they should be, magazines restacked on the coffee table's smooth surface, and mail filed away by type and due date. Sometimes, Roy accused her of being obsessive compulsive, due to her neatness, but she simply reminded him that if she was this neat, none of his paperwork would get done and he'd still be a lowly Major instead of a General. At that, he generally got quiet.

Checking the time, Riza growled at the fact that Roy was still sleeping. He had to be work in a hour and a half and had yet to rise. Going up the stairs, she did not bother with being quiet this time. Cranky or not, Roy Mustang was getting out of bed.

As she moved to push open the bedroom door, she heard a low sound that could almost be the wind in the eaves. However, being a new mother had quickly taught her how to discern the sound of her baby from those of nature. Mae was awake and had just given her mother a brilliant idea.

Lifting her tiny daughter, Riza lost all composure and began to coo at her, refusing to use 'baby words', she and Roy and decided that they were allowed to repeat the noises the child made on her own. It helped that the little girl's brown eyes lit up the moment she heard her parent's repeating the sounds. With that, Mae was currently grinning a toothless grin at her mother, her slightly slanted eyes dancing with love and happiness. She wasn't even crying to be fed, which was slightly unusual for the two month old girl, normally she'd be cranky from hunger after sleeping, just like her father.

Riza decided that, if Mae wasn't hungry yet, then it was time for the child to help her mother out a little bit. Laughing lightly to herself, the normally stoic and dispassionate woman carried her infant daughter into the room she shared with her husband. Who was still dead to the world, though his left hand lay on top of the alarm clock from shutting it off.

Sighing and shaking her head, she looked down at Mae and smiled mischievously; Mae smiled back, waving her small hands in the air, "Ready to help Mom out?"

If she did this right, Roy would get woken up by something far more pleasant than the barrel of a gun. Situating the infant on the bed, she made sure that Mae would not fall off before kneeling down to make sure Mae was close enough to her father to reach him. The girl was a long way from being able to move herself about, but she had a grip like iron all the same. Riza watched merrily as Mae lifted her head, realizing that Dad was no more than two inches away from her.

It didn't take any prodding from Riza for the baby to do what came naturally as she reached out one chubby hand and grabbed her father's nose. Roy jerked, but not with enough force to dislodge Mae who started giggling like crazy. Cracking one eye open, he focused in on the small, chubby form laying beside his face, the hand wrapped around his nose, and the woman who kneeled beside the bed, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Riza, that's not funny," Roy growled, his voice coming out sounding like he had a cold.

"Believe me, it's far funnier than what I would have done to you," Riza hauled herself up, lifting Mae as she went, "Breakfast is ready."

Riza heard the sigh and mutter as though she were still standing beside the bed, and, after a moment, a short bark of laughter as the bed creaked. Smiling, she made her way downstairs to feed the increasingly fussy Mae and allow her husband to get ready in peace.


	2. Cold

**Cold**

First came the coughing, then the snot, and finally the crying. Roy rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember the last time he'd gotten a full night's sleep. Scratch that, the last time _either_ of them got a full night's sleep. As he sat at the kitchen table, a half drank cup of coffee in his hand, he listened to the restless movements above his head where the nursery was. Riza was still in there, attempting to soothe their three month old daughter. For a week now, the baby had been sick. The doctor had said not to worry about it, that she'd get better with the medicine in a short while.

That short while couldn't come soon enough.

After another thirty minutes of screaming, crying, and soft footsteps, Riza could be heard making her way downstairs. She stopped in the doorway for a moment and they looked at one another. Roy noted how tired she looked, nothing like the straight forward, stern military officer he'd known for years, but more like what she was now, a worn out, overstressed mother.

"She's finally asleep," Riza sighed, breaking the silence and causing Roy to blink.

"Child's got a set of Elric lungs, there something you need to tell me?" Roy quipped as he stood up and poured a fresh cup of coffee for her, motioning for her to sit.

"No, she's too whiny to be an Elric," Riza smirked before taking the cup.

Scowling, Roy handed her the cup of steaming liquid.

Riza took the cup, wrapping her long fingers around smooth circumference and inhaling deeply before making her way to the table. Sitting, she closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Roy wondered if, in all her years in the military, she had ever met up with something this stressful and difficult to deal with. It wasn't like she could take out her sidearm and threaten the ill infant, expecting her to quiet down.

"Roy, I don't know how I'm going to survive this…" Riza whispered, instantly making him realize just how tired she really was.

"Go to Gracia's place and get some rest… I'll call the office and let them know I'm not coming in today. They can survive one day without the two of us," Roy suggested, setting one hand on her shoulder, Riza reached up and wrapped her own hand about his.

Sighing, she nodded her head, long blond hair falling down around her shoulders as she did so. Even like this, Roy was astounded by her beauty. There was no denying why she had drawn him for so many years.

"Are you certain you can handle her alone?" Riza asked seriously, her tired eyes boring into his.

"I'm the Flame Alchemist, I've taken on terrorists, serial killers, military corruption, and a pint-sized, hot headed alchemist. I think I can handle one baby for one day!" Roy laughed, not really feeling the confidence he was displaying. Truth be told, he'd not been alone with Mae for more than ten minutes since her birth.

There was little doubt that Riza didn't really believe him, but she acquiesced anyway. Roy got the distinct feeling that she was at the end of her rope and could take no more tonight.

Watching as Riza walked down the porch steps, heading for the sidewalk that ran parallel to their front yard, Roy considered the fact that he had just volunteered to spend the entire day alone with a sick baby. He also considered the fact that he'd only changed two diapers since the child had come home from the hospital. Riza had been appalled by his diapering skills and had promptly taken over the chore. Some part of him hoped Mae would stay asleep for the rest of the day.

Of course, that couldn't be.

Before Roy closed the door, a loud caterwauling cry echoed from the upstairs. Mae had woken up and she was not in a good mood. Perhaps he could change that, showing Riza once and for all that he was not 'useless'.

Carrying a squalling Mae downstairs, Roy resisted the urge to run his hand through his messed up hair again. It already looked like he'd just gotten out of bed, instead of having been ready for work not twenty minutes earlier. Mae resisted everything he did to calm her down; rocking, rubbing her back, even singing (though that was done badly and he didn't blame her for screaming louder). After checking her diaper (dry), he decided it was time to try feeding her.

Roy balanced Mae on his hip as he opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a pre-made bottle. With a furtive glance, he decided there was no way he was going to be able to light the stove while holding his daughter, but he didn't want to set her down either. She had finally started to calm down slightly, watching him closely as he prepared himself to feed her.

Growling, Roy lifted the bottle and looked from it to the stovetop to the box of matches beside the stovetop to the infant in the crook of his left arm. Unless he grew a third arm suddenly, there was no way to do this without setting Mae down. Which was not happening.

"Okay, you're not the Flame Alchemist for nothing," Roy muttered, setting the bottle down in a pan that sat on the stovetop, something that Riza left out at all times.

Once that was done, he slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out one of his gloves with the array stitched on the outside. It took some time to get the glove on with only one free hand, but he'd trained himself to handle different situations. True, this wasn't the 'normal' situation of a soldier, but being able to adjust was a very important skill for a soldier.

"Well, Mae, looks like you're going to get to see what your old man can do," Roy twitched when he realized what he had just said, but shook it off.

Holding his right hand up, glove donned, he slid his thumb and forefinger together. As the array activated, he snapped his fingers, producing a spark. Smirking, he watched as the flame enveloped the bottle, but that feeling of accomplishment was quickly replaced by dread.

Even as Mae began giggling wildly - interspersed with coughing and hacking - Roy ducked for cover. The bottle shot straight into the air, bursting as it hit the ceiling. Roy felt warm milk running down his neck, soaking the back of his uniform jacket, and coating his hair. The milk dripped from the ceiling as he dared to look up. What he saw caused him to fight laughter himself.

Only half of the bottle was visible, as the top was embedded in the tiles of the ceiling. The bottom half of the bottle was broken, the milk splattered all over the stove, the floor, the walls, and Roy himself. Mae was unscathed and in a fit of hysterical laughter as she reached up toward to destroyed bottle.

"…Good thing you'll never remember this," Roy muttered as he watched the bottle begin to slide out of the tile. Stepping back, he avoided being hit by the bottle as it fell to the floor with a crash. Glass scattered throughout the kitchen, crunching beneath his boots as he made his way back to the refrigerator.

A fit of coughing caught Roy's attention as he pulled out a second bottle. Mae's face was bright red as she tried to catch her breath, making his own breath catch in his throat. Lifting her to his shoulder, he patted her back and whispered calmly in her ear, though he felt like running around in circles, screaming for help.

The fit passed and Mae immediately began screaming again, her hands waved in the air as she screwed her face up and large tears slid down her chubby cheeks. At this, Roy's heart broke.

"Hey there, it's okay," Roy murmured, realizing that, even a year ago, he'd never consider sounding like this, not even with Riza. There was something about a baby that made you change, something that wasn't tangible, but was definitely there.

As soon as Mae was calmed to a bearable point, Roy set her down in the high chair that sat near the table, luckily this had been spared the majority of the milk.

After lighting the fire beneath the pan, Roy glanced to the right. Sitting on the countertop, right where Riza had left it, was Mae's medicine. The bottle had an eyedropper built into the lid. Sighing, he realized that he needed to give the girl her medicine. This was a thing he'd rather not do. The medicine apparently tasted just as bad as it smelled and Mae was one stubborn child when she didn't want to do something. Especially when it involved something going into her mouth.

"Riza… I hope you're better tomorrow, because I don't think I can do this another day without you," Roy muttered, something he'd been doing a lot of lately, as he picked up the medicine and looked it over for a moment.

It wasn't lost on him that he was already missing his wife's presence and he'd only been alone with his daughter for half an hour.

Mae ate greedily enough, burping loudly as Roy patted her back. Feeling a sense of adolescent humor at the noise, he prepared himself to give the girl her medicine. If he managed to get it into her mouth, it would be a small miracle in and of itself. As it was, he could barely get the lid/eye dropper open. Whoever had developed child-proof lids should be shot. He had a feeling that, given the chance, Mae would have the lid off in seconds, and she was only three months old!

When Roy finally got the lid off and filled the eye dropper, Mae was watching him with a look of loathing. Normally Riza got to be the bad guy when it came to their daughter, unfortunately, today it was his turn. He was starting to wish he'd convinced Riza to stay long enough to give Mae her medicine.

Sighing, he cursed his own folly before smiling down at the baby in his arms. He'd never realized the looks a three month old could give, if looks could kill, he'd be a pile of ash at the moment.

"Come on Mae Rose, it'll make you feel better," Roy coaxed, bringing the dropper the girl's mouth. Mae's lips became thing light lines she closed them so tightly.

Twenty minutes, three spit ups, and many tears (mostly Roy's own) later, Mae was lying on the floor bundled up in a blanket, her eyes growing heavy. Roy laid beside her, his uniform front splattered with the horrendous smelling medicine, breathing deeply as he tried to calm his racing heart. The competition between himself and Fullmetal had been less stressful!

Looking to his right, he saw that Mae was finally asleep, a peaceful look on her face as she dreamed her little dreams. Roy hoped she never had a reason to have nightmares, never saw the horror of the world, that she would stay this innocent forever, that the worst thing that ever happened was being forced to swallow some medicine that made even his stomach turn over.

He rolled over onto his side and brushed a hand down Mae's smooth cheek. A small smile graced his lips as he watched her sleep. Gently, Roy sat up and lifted his tiny daughter into his arms, kissing her on the forehead before standing and carrying her toward the stairs. Before he'd made it halfway up, however, Mae gave a haggard cough and, for the third time that day, there was something splattered over his uniform jacket.

As Mae slept, Roy cleaned. After changing out of his uniform, which was set out for dry cleaning, since he doubted Riza wanted to try and clean it up, he'd attempted to brush the dried milk from his hair. He was afraid to take a shower, in case Mae should wake up and he didn't hear her. The kitchen was a hopeless mess, the most that Roy did was sweep up the glass and wiped down the table and counter.

Once that was done, he walked into the family room and settled down on the couch, lifting the handset from the phone that sat upon the coffee table. With everything that had happened, he'd never gotten the chance to call in at work. Though he doubted anyone would say anything if the General didn't show up one day out of the week.

"Fuhrer Grumann's office please," Roy directed the operator, ignoring the telltale clicks and static of others listening to the conversations going on. He knew that there were people listening in on the Fuhrer's phone calls, in case there should be any threats dispensed.

Moments later he was connected with the Fuhrer's secretary who demanded to know who was calling the Fuhrer from an outside line. Roy did his best not to snap at the woman, she was just doing her job after all.

After ten minutes, Roy finally got it through the woman's head that he was, in fact, General Roy Mustang.

When he finally got Grumann, he breathed a sigh of relief, keeping one ear open for Mae the entire time. Surely her great-grandfather would understand if he was suddenly speaking to nothing but air. However, he did not have to test that idea.

"Roy, is something wrong?" Grumann greeted him like family instead of personnel, meaning Riza had most likely already called in for him from Gracia's house.

"No, I just wanted to let you know why I failed to appear this morning," Roy explained calmly, still glancing furtively at the stairs.

"Riza let me know. How is my great-granddaughter?" there was a laugh in Grumann's voice as he asked. Roy frowned, getting the distinct feeling that he was being picked on.

"She's fine, sleeping now," Roy responded, ignoring the unspoken laughter. It was one thing for Riza to say something to the man, another thing all together for him to do so.

"You're coming to the end of it. She'll be better before you know it and then you'll wonder what you were ever worried about," Grumann commented in a knowing voice. Roy found himself wondering when that would actually happen, after everything he'd been through just this morning.

"Let's hope so, I have found myself missing Fullmetal's temper tantrums as opposed to dealing with an ill baby," Roy deadpanned.

His emotionless comment was not lost on Grumann who actually had the audacity to chuckle at Roy's obvious discomfiture. Fighting the urge to growl at the older man, Roy settled for scowling silently.

"You may want to watch wishing for such things, Roy, when she's older and has Riza's temper, you'll be missing these days," Grumann's voice was serious, even though there was still a hint of laughter hidden behind the words.

"Don't remind me," Roy spat, sighing as a whimper followed by a cough reached his finely tuned ears.

The day progressed in much the same way. Roy seemed to spend as much time cleaning (not all that well) as he did trying to calm a miserable infant. At least his own weariness had made him immune to the diapers. That was one good thing to come of this day.

As evening approached, Roy came to realize that there were fewer and fewer coughing fits and more sleeping from Mae. She was eating better and spitting up less (his shirts appreciated this). By that night, Mae was breathing easier and he was able to sit down to eat. He'd not realized just how hungry he was until it was six in the evening and his stomach began to growl quite loudly.

While Mae laid upon the floor on a thick blanket, Roy sat on the couch and ate, watching her from the corner of his eye. Mae laid there, her brown eyes following dust motes and light spots above her. Everything seemed to fascinate her, until she yawned wildly and stretched her arms convulsively.

It seemed the yawn was contagious, as Roy joined her in doing so. This was not lost on Mae who promptly turned her attention to him and smiled, moving her arms about without any since of control.

Roy lifted her into his arms and settled back onto the couch, messing with her fingers and toes, to her utter delight.

As the front door swung open, light spilled in from the porch light, silhouetting the figure standing there. Brown eyes swept the front room, looking for any signs of the house collapsing from her day out. Nothing seemed amiss, everything was in its proper place, the walls were still standing, the ceiling was not caving in, and there was no sign of a fire anywhere.

Instead of feeling better about it, Riza felt a pit form in her stomach. There was something wrong when the house was still standing and Mae was silent. Closing the door, she walked into the kitchen, sighing in relief when she saw the dried milk that still covered the table, floor, and counter. Shaking her head, she looked at the ceiling, noticing the hole immediately. She had to suppress the urge to laugh. This was more like it.

Removing her jacket, Riza walked back into the hallway and placed it in the closet before making her way to the stairs. Instead of going up them, however, she turned and walked into the family room. A soft snore emitted from the couch and she noticed a pair of feet hanging over one armrest. Coming to stand behind the couch, she caught herself smiling instantly.

Laying on the couch, which was too short for him in the first place, was Roy. His feet hung off the end while his head was supported by the other armrest. Laying on his chest, his right arm slung protectively around her, was Mae. Her fists were curled up in his shirt, holding onto the cloth tightly as she slept peacefully for the first time in a long time.

Suddenly, the sense of dread she'd felt since leaving the house that morning was gone. It seemed Roy could handle Mae on his own. It had been hard admitting that she needed help when it came to their daughter, but it had been even harder admitting that Roy could handle the girl on his own. There had been a lot of fears involved. But, he'd proven her wrong, again.

Throwing a blanket across the two forms on the couch, Riza smiled and sighed in relief. Perhaps this 'family' thing would work after all.


	3. Surprise

**Surprise**

"Who do you think?" the question was loaded with possibilities, but there was only one answer that anyone wanted to know was the one they didn't know. Havoc was the one posing it this time, as he sat in the mess hall with four others.

"Well?" Jean demanded, his voice cracking as he asked the question. A momentary silence echoed across the mess hall as every man and woman present stopped speaking momentarily, looking over at the gathering men, all of whom were a different rank, the highest being a Colonel.

"It's up to them, not us. And you know how the Major will react if we demanded an answer," Fuery commented, ignoring the rolling eyes, "I mean, it's not like we can force them to choose!"

"Perhaps, but it is still unfair of them to keep all present guessing and waiting," Armstrong sounded on the verge of tears as he said this, causing his companions to scoot away from him.

"It's just like the General though, he's probably getting some sadistic joy from this," Breda spat, tapping the edge of his tray with his fork.

Seated at the end of the table, Falman gauged his companions' emotions, wondering what he should say. It was no secret, the pool he'd set up the day that Riza had announced her pregnancy, but it was still a touchy topic. All of the men seated with him had demanded to know who was winning at one time or another. He'd managed not to reveal the stats before, but now he wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to tell them.

"Vato, who's winning in the pool?" Havoc asked suddenly as though he'd read Falman's thoughts.

"Yeah, come on and tell us already! Maybe it'll give us a hint," Breda piped up, looking at Falman pointedly.

All of them were looking at Falman now. He considered his next move carefully, regardless of their reaction to the answer, he'd still have to watch out for the General's response.

"…45 percent say Edward Elric," Falman began, but was instantly interrupted.

"What?" all four men shouted, causing the mess hall to silence once more. There had never been a though for the former Fullmetal. Since he'd left the military and lost his alchemic ability, he'd been considered out of the running for this coveted role.

"20 percent say Colonel Armstrong," Falman continued, unfazed by the interruption, he'd been expecting it, "15 percent say Fuery, 13 percent say myself, 5 percent say Breda, and 2 percent say Havoc."

The latter drew himself up and glared at Falman, his mouth agape, the cigarette dangling dangerously from his lower lip. That was when Breda guffawed and was soon joined by all the others, except for Falman, who began eating his less than appetizing lunch.

"Shut it Heymans! You're only 3 percent higher than me!" Havoc barked, standing up with vehemence and stalking away from the table.

Breda promptly sobered, glanced around the table and stood to follow his comrade. After a moment of looking from one another, all the other joined them, including Falman.

"All right, enough is enough!" the shout echoed through the plush office as the door was thrown open, leaving a dent in the wall behind it.

Roy glanced up from the file he had been perusing to see a, rather, angry 1st Lieutenant Jean Havoc marching into his office. Before responding to the man, he returned to looking through the mission file before him.

"Something wrong 1st Lieutenant?" Roy queried with little interest. Years of dealing with Edward had taught him much when it came to such bursts of anger.

"You bet there's something wrong!" this response made Roy look up once more, startled by the voice. Behind Havoc stood an equally angered Heymans Breda.

Looking beyond the larger man, Roy's eyes widened at the sight of Armstrong, Falman, and, a very nervous looking, Fuery. Sighing, Roy leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands together, setting them into his lap and considering his subordinates for a moment.

"What is this all about?" Roy demanded, his voice even and cool as he gazed at the men gathered in his office.

"You know what it's about! You've been dragging it out for the last four months you sadistic…" Havoc growled, stopping as Roy held up a hand to forestall the name calling.

"Obviously I don't, if I have to ask you," Roy stated calmly, watching as Riza walked into the office, the newest stack of paperwork held protectively in her arms. She looked at the gathering curiously before glancing at him with one eyebrow raised questioningly.

Roy shook his head slightly, hoping the others hadn't noticed the movement before turning his attention back to the group of irate men. Gauging their emotional standing, he decided to ask the least emotional of them the question, avoiding Havoc's tirade for the moment.

"Falman, what is going on here?" Roy looked at the older man calmly, pointedly ignoring the shocked look on Havoc's face.

"Sir, it would seem that the men wish to know who will be Mae's godfather," Falman responded emotionlessly, as though reciting a fact from a book.

A smirk graced Roy's lips as he regarded his men. This had been an ongoing battle ever since Riza's announcement, three months into her pregnancy. She'd informed them of the fact that she was pregnant so that there wouldn't be any uncomfortable questions later on, but hadn't considered the fact that every man they knew would be clamoring for the open position of godfather. At least there hadn't been any drawn out fights over godmother; Gracia Hughes had been the obvious choice for that particular honor. However, with Maes gone, godfather wasn't so easy.

"So, that's what the newest pool is about," Roy's smirk grew as the men regarded him with open hatred. He could almost hear their thoughts, "I don't know… do we really want any of you as her godfather?"

All five men gaped at this, the silence was thick enough to cut with a knife as they all regarded him with identical expressions. They were a mixture of shock, annoyance, and disbelief. Every one of these men had been his supporters as he sought the removal of their former Fuhrer, his most trusted subordinates. He had fought at the side of these men, grieved with them, defended them, and helped them through various tragedies. And now, he was telling them that he may not trust them enough to be his only child's godfather. While he understood their feelings, he didn't feel particularly sorry for them. In fact, he was having quite a bit of fun at their expense.

"Sir, please stop baiting them and simply tell them our decision," Riza scowled, setting the files down on his desk, nearly toppling the 'NOW' pile, which was already twice as tall as the 'Finished' pile.

"You've already decided? Boss! WHEN?" Havoc was, quite nearly, falling over the back of the couch before Roy's desk.

"A few days ago, but we wanted to tell him when we felt the time was right," Riza responded for Roy, ignoring the smirk and glint in his dark eyes as he regarded the men before him.

"Well, who is it?" Havoc, Breda, and even Armstrong demanded. Fuery looked curious and frightened at the same time while Falman simply stood back, his arms crossed as he regarded the scene before him.

Before Roy could respond, there was a light knocking at the door. Looking beyond the five men before him, Roy smiled and beckoned the newcomer into the room.

Five sets of eyes swiveled to the blonde who walked in, his long brown jacket billowing out behind him as he moved past them. He regarded them curiously before turning his attention to Roy, nodding in Riza's direction.

"You wanted to speak with me, sir?" Alphonse Elric had never stopped being polite and ever respectful.

"Alphonse, welcome back," Roy smiled at the young man, a smile that had the men behind him shaking.

It wasn't good when Roy smiled, a smiling Roy meant trouble. Smirking was much more his standard. Every one of the men shared the same look, Alphonse wasn't military, never was, so what use could Roy have for him?

"Have a seat Alphonse," Riza indicated the couch, sending a silent command to Havoc who quickly stood up straight and allowed the young man to sit.

"We had hoped to speak to you in private, before announcing this to the whole command center, but obviously we're not going to get that chance," Roy glared at the men surrounding the couch before continuing on, "Al, as you know, we've been trying to decide something rather important since before Mae was born."

"Brother told me something about it, he seemed to think it was rather stupid… I don't agree with that assessment, but you know my brother," Al commented, thinking he knew now why Havoc and the others were present.

Smirking Roy considered what that conversation must have been like and doubted Ed had simply said it was 'stupid', he was pretty sure there had been some nasty names involved in the conversation, but Al was far too polite to repeat them, "Yes, well, ignoring your brother's opinion of things, I… that is, we, were hoping you'd consider being Mae's godfather."

At this, Roy took Riza's hand into his own while five groans filled the office. Roy thought he heard a muttered 'bastard' from Havoc's direction while Armstrong looked like he was going to burst into tears or hug Alphonse at any moment, and Breda's face changed shades from white to red back to white. Fuery's mouth merely dropped open and Falman's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Of course I will be!" Al's response was far faster than Roy or Riza had expected it, but, with five men standing behind you, ready to remove your head from your shoulders should you delay their answers, it was most likely wise to respond quickly.

"Alphonse Elric!" Armstrong pulled Al into a tight bear hug and to the horror of all present, the smaller man began to turn red in the face as the air was forced from his lungs and he began gasping for air.

"Col…Colonel! I…can't…breathe!" Al managed to stutter, breathing deeply as Armstrong set him back down and patted his head, as if he was still a child.

Once Havoc and the others had left the office, after a round of back clapping and congratulations (some of which were forced), Roy and Riza turned to Alphonse who was red in the face and trying not to giggle out of embarrassment.

"Sorry about that, Alphonse," Riza apologized, glaring at Roy as he tried not to laugh.

"It's alright Major, but, why me?" Al asked, regaining some of his earlier composure.

Roy shrugged, "No special reason, Al. You just seemed the logical choice, considering what we had to work with."

"You do realize that the pool said that Brother would win," Al smiled at them both, startled.

"I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that you knew about that," Roy commented, smiling back, considering how quiet and sneaky Al could be when he wanted to be.

Al simply smirked, looking more like his brother than he had a right to, before standing up and heading for the door. Once at the door, he turned back and waved to Riza, bowed to Roy, and left.

Roy and Riza exchanged looks before grinning at one another and returning to their work.


	4. Snow

Snow gently fell outside of the large picture window in the family room. A fire crackled merrily behind the grate that stood before the moderate stone fireplace. Seated on the couch, his legs crossed, a cup of hot coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other, Roy glanced up and spotted Mae as she toddled toward the coffee table. Ever since her first steps, the girl had been a force to reckon with; neither he nor Riza had a moment's rest as they chased the girl away from things she should not get into.

Today, however, Mae was content with remaining in the family room with him while her mother was busy in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes from their breakfast. It was the weekend, and neither one of them had anything pressing to do. Though, Roy knew he should consider working on the reports from the East. Ever since the stabilization of the Ishvalan region, he had focused on other areas, leaving the continued maintenance of the peace there in the capable hands of his people. Yet, he still found himself perusing the reports to ascertain that all was still running smoothly and that any issues were handled with the required finesse.

"Da…Da," Mae's call pulled him from his thoughts, causing him to look at her over the edge of the coffee table.

With hands to either side of her face, grasping the edge of the table tightly, Mae looked at him with wide brown eyes that showed she was smiling. Roy found himself returning the grin as he set his coffee mug and paper down, uncrossed his legs and reached across the wooden table top. He lifted the toddler into his arms. Mae squealed with delight as he lightly tossed her into the air and caught her again, hugging her tiny form to his chest.

"Dada!" Mae giggled happily, her eyes shining with joy as she gazed up into his face, "More!"

Laughing, Roy obliged the child and threw her into the air a few more times. The entire time, she giggled and threw her arms out. There was no fear in her face, she knew he'd never let her fall and get hurt. He just hoped he could continue to be such a force of safety for her, it seemed he had let down a lot of people in his lifetime.

XXX

"Roy, why don't you take Mae outside?" Riza walked up behind as he sat at his desk, perusing the reports he'd considered looking over earlier in the day.

"She awake?" he leaned back in his chair and examined his wife's gentle features. After the years of fighting and trying not to get killed, she'd seemingly become ageless. The worry lines were gone and her eyes no longer held a fierce determination, only love and concern. Though, she was still a force to be reckoned with when angry.

"Yes and I already bundled her up," Riza grinned, tossing Roy's long black coat onto the desk top before him.

Roy mock scowled at her, grumbling about sending him out into the cold snow with their daughter while she got to stay inside the nice, dry, warm house. Riza bought none of it as she quirked an eyebrow in his direction, watching as he donned his coat and gloves. By the time he emerged from his study, Riza had returned to the family room where Mae was enclosed by baby gates. Instead of standing with or begging to be lifted into her mother's arms, Mae was standing at the gate to the stairs, waiting impatiently for him to arrive. Roy laughed at the squeal of delight that heralded his approach on the stairs.

Moments later Roy was standing on the back porch, watching as Mae made her first discovery of the confounding substance known as 'snow'. She squatted down, nearly falling on her bottom, and gingerly put her mitten covered hand into the snow that had drifted at the edge of the porch. The look of utter concentration on her face had Roy suppressing a wide grin, since every time she glanced up at him, she'd frown if she saw him smiling down at her in mirth.

"Well, Mae, what do you think?" Roy kneeled down beside the small girl, his long black coat fanning out behind him on the frost covered wood planks of the porch's floor. Even though it was cold enough for the snow to accumulate, it was not that cold out. At least, it didn't feel that cold, yet.

"What?" Mae demanded, pointing at the white stuff before her.

"Snow," Roy responded, watching as Mae's face screwed up with the effort of understanding the new word.

After making a few attempts at repeating her father, Mae became frustrated with the attempt and gave up with a humph that was highly reminiscent of her mother when she became frustrated. However, her displeasure was quickly forgotten as Roy scooped her up and made his way down the slippery steps, into the powdery snow that had turned the backyard into a veritable winter wonderland.

Just as Roy was about to set Mae down, a black and white body streaked past, kicking up snow and barking wildly. It was the most animated he had ever seen Riza's dog, Black Hayate. For a few seconds, he stood, bent over, watching in perplexed fascination as the dog ran around the yard, sliding through the turns, flipping snow up on his nose and sneezing as it came back down into his face. Eventually, the gaiety ended and Black Hayate wound up standing directly in front of Roy, tail wagging wildly behind him. Quirking an eyebrow at the overly enthusiastic canine, Roy finished the kneeling down process and set a, still giggling, Mae on the ground.

The moment her small, booted feet touched the snow and her body sank in, hip deep, Mae stopped giggling and looked at the snow surrounding her with wide eyes. After a moment's indecision, she flopped down into the snow, landing on her bottom and sending a spray of icy particles into her father's face. This seemed to be what Hayate was waiting for; as soon as Mae had made herself comfortable, the dog was off on another tangent of wild romping.

By the time Roy carried Mae back into the house, his face was bright red, with his nose particularly bright. Though he knew she had to be cold, Mae was wriggling wildly in his grip, shouting no the entire way back inside. Gratefully, Roy handed the protesting toddler off to Riza as he made his way to the family room and the fireplace.

"Next time, you get to take her out," Roy said, trying to ignore his chattering teeth.

Riza simply sent him a knowing smile before setting Mae down on the floor where she had spread paper and crayons a few minutes before she had seen her husband approaching the house. The tears and cries of "NO" ended immediately as Mae realized what was around her on the floor. Within seconds, half the paper was covered in scribbles that Mae seemed quite proud of, forcing them upon her father as he kneeled before the fire, trying to force some semblance of warmth back into his body. Catching her before she could return to coloring, he quickly removed her warm outer clothing, depositing it on the hearth. For once, Mae didn't fight him on this, instead she grabbed him around the neck and gave him a loud kiss on the cheek before scrambling away to scribble some more.

In that moment, he knew what Riza's smile had meant. Like hell he'd give up the opportunity to take Mae out into the snow again.

At just that moment, Black Hayate ran into the room and showered all within with icy water and pellets of ice before circling the floor before the hearth and laying down with a sigh of deep pleasure.


	5. Precocious

**Precocious**

Roy sat on the front porch steps, leaning back against the sturdy wooden guard rail that wound its way around the entire porch area. Behind him, on the swing sat his wife and daughter. While attempting to maintain a relaxed appearance, Roy glanced up and down the sidewalk that paralleled the front of the house. Still there remained no sign of the person he was waiting for. He knew Riza was beginning to feel his anxiety because she continually glanced up from the book she was reading to Mae.

For her part, Mae was completely oblivious to her parents' anxious glances toward the empty sidewalk beyond the picket fence. Roy wondered what it was like to have no worries, at least, not serious ones. His dark eyes lingered on the form of his one and half year old daughter for a moment, taking in the shimmering black hair that seemed to float on the gentle breeze of the spring morning, the brown eyes that sparkled with interest as they scanned the pictures in the book that lay open on Riza's lap, and the chubby hands the grasped Riza's skirt, bunching it up and wrinkling it.

Riza caught his gaze and smiled, though that smile didn't reach her eyes. There was little doubt in Roy's mind that Riza was just as concerned as he was. It had been awhile since the last time they had seen them. What if something happened to them on their way here?

While these thoughts swirled through his mind, Roy had turned back to the sidewalk and stared at the far end to the north. There was no sign of anyone, not even an MP. Before he could sigh and stand up, two arms wrapped themselves around his neck and lips brushed against his right ear.

"They'll be fine, Roy, relax a little," Riza's breath sent shivers down his spine as she spoke into his ear.

"You're right, of course. Nothing could stop those two, especially when they're together," Roy laughed lightly, though the nervous knot remained in his stomach.

As the words and laugh left his lips, Riza scooted around and sat on the step beside him, relaxing her arms so that they were loosely wrapped around his neck and shoulders. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before laying her head down upon his shoulder.

"Where's Mae?" Roy asked it absently, knowing that he would have seen her had she wandered off into the front yard.

"Sitting on the floor with her book. She thinks she's too smart for her mother to be reading to her. I swear she got your stubborn streak," Riza snorted, not bothering to lift her head.

"My stubborn streak? What about yours?" Roy snapped back, smirking when Riza's head lifted and she glared at him.

"It's settled, she got her stubbornness from the both of us, besides, you do realize what that means don't you? Imagine what she's going to be like at 13," Riza's smile was decidedly evil as she regarded Roy's face.

"She's never leaving the house," Roy grunted, glancing back at his daughter furtively.

For a moment, Riza held her serious demeanor, after that, it was shattered and she was giggling wildly. Mae looked up from her book curiously before standing and toddling over to them both. Roy watched her come out of the corner of his eye and wondered what the child would ask.

"Mom, what funny?" Mae's voice only caused Riza to laugh more hysterically than she already had been.

"Nothing Mae, your mother's just having a mental breakdown," Roy responded seriously, his face composed and dispassionate as he regarded his wife.

"Huh?" Mae's nose scrunched up and her brows furrowed as she tried to deduce the meaning of his words.

"Dad's just being mean. I'm fine, and it's nothing you have to worry about, honey," Riza replied, wiping tears from her eyes and cheeks as she looked over at her daughter's confused continence.

"Okay," Mae shrugged, an imitation of Havoc, and walked back to her book, flopping down on her stomach and looking at the pages with their brightly colored pictures.

"You do realize that we have a rather precocious child, don't you?" Riza asked quietly, sitting up straight and looking directly into Roy's eyes.

"How so?" Roy asked, he'd never been around children before Mae came along. Unless you included Fullmetal.

"Gracia and I were talking the other day and she informed me that Mae speaks more like a two and half year old than a one and half year old. She said that it might just be because she's always around adults, instead of other children. However, it's also possible that we might have a rather intelligent little girl on our hands," Riza explained, her chestnut eyes never leaving his obsidian ones.

"Uh huh," Roy returned her steady gaze with a bored one. As far as he was concerned, it didn't matter, he'd already saved Amestris, albeit with help, so what was so hard about raising a smart kid?

"You realize what this means don't you?" Riza's demanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

The look made Roy sit up and listen. It was dangerous to act uninterested when Riza got that look. That could very well get one shot, actually.

"What do you mean?" Roy asked innocently, he honestly had no idea why Riza was so concerned about this.

"It means that we will have to make sure she gets into the right schools, has tutors, and is constantly busy. Intelligent children get bored very easily, she'll be no different. Bored children generally find more trouble than children who are busy," Riza explained slowly, as though she were talking to a dimwitted child.

Roy felt a momentary irritation at the way she was speaking to him, then what she had said sank in. Suddenly, images of toppled buildings, large rock pillars, shattered statues, and a very short-tempered blond entered his mind. Fullmetal was smart, a genius in fact, and he'd been destructive while busy.

"I hope she's not a genius," Roy muttered, getting the feeling that a few gray hairs had just sprouted on his head.

"I doubt she's genius level intelligence. Simply smart. She's be above average I don't doubt, as long as we keep her motivated and interested in learning," Riza assured him. As far as she knew, Mae had shown no signs of a genius level IQ and that was fine with her. Truth be told, Edward was the first image that had popped into her head as well.

"I hated school," Roy stated bluntly, wondering how he was to keep a child interested in something he'd despised.

"I know, but I didn't. We'll figure it out," Riza stated calmly, slipping her left arm through the space between his right arm and torso before lacing her fingers with his.

"How the hell did we get a smart kid, Hawkeye?" Roy sighed, his voice muffled by the hand that his chin rested upon, the fingers in front of his mouth.

"Don't know, sir, but we sure as hell did," Riza grinned, waving as two familiar figures turned the corner of the north end of the sidewalk.

Roy followed her gaze and lifted his left hand in greeting to the two blonds walking toward them. Both young men, fore they were no longer boys, lifted their hands in greeting as well. The shorter of the two had a huge grin on his face that Roy could see, even from this far away while the taller had a calm smile on his face.

"Al's a genius too, right?" Roy asked as the two blonds came closer.

"Yes," Riza affirmed as she stood from her place on the top step and turned to beckon Mae over.

"Good, maybe she'll take after her godfather," Roy muttered as the two men came up even with the gate. He followed Riza's lead and stood up as well.

"Hey old man, long time no see," Edward's voice was deeper now, but the old tone was still there.

"Yes, but how would I know, it's hard to see you from up here," Roy replied easily, smirking at the mock scowl on the younger man's face.

"Who you callin' short?" Edward demanded without his old gusto. Considering the fact that he was now only a head shorter than Roy, it was understandable that the old comments no longer had much effect.

"It's good to see you again, Fullmetal. Alphonse," Roy stepped down from the porch and held out his hand. Edward took it in a strong grip and shook it deftly.


End file.
